From being an Abandoned who had rarely left the Hollowed Grounds, to embracing the call of adventure, to dying and being reborn first as an Ascended and then as an Ancient, Maea has gone through quite the amount of changes in her life. One thing remains common, though, in her attempts to find out just where she belongs; she’s always had a craving for knowledge which has brought her to so many places and to meet so many people here in Caido. We can’t wait to see what else is in store for her!
Congratulations, Maea!
Credits
Court of the Fallen was created in October of 2018 by Odd, Honey, and Crooked.
Skinning and hosting by the epically talented Kaons, and functionality fanciness by the coding magic of Neowulf. If you ever see either of them around, make sure to show them some love!
The work goes well enough at first. It's an easy, repetitive motion, one that he falls into gratefully. He's an ADHD little bastard, and the motions are soothing enough to keep him fully occupied, which spares those gathered from hearing him jabber away at them. Each finished bag is carefully hung so as not to glue them down accidentally to whatever surface he may otherwise lay them on. Drips on the floor are better than ripping off an entire layer of work in Harper's opinion.
The weight in the next bag is his first clue that something is amiss. The sharp claws that swat out at him from the opening cement that problem immediately. Gasping in feigned despair through grinning lips, Harper carefully shifts the opening of the bag to peer down at the grumpy feline ensconced within it. "Hello there, little buddy! I'm sure it's delightful in that bag, but unfortunately I need to evict you." But the cat is stubbornly in place, so Harper has to step back and consider a way to coax him out somehow. His first attempt is to appease the creature, so he unclasps one of his simple bead bracelets and dangles it at the opening, letting it lay flat and snaking it around to try and entice the cat to pounce out and play with it. Then he'll rip the bag away and maybe sacrifice his bracelet to appease the grumpy creature.
Harper uses his bracelet to try and entice the cat to play and pounce out of the bag.
You're the prototype for me and if heaven wants to take us they can try
Despite the handicap imposed by having only one blade instead of two, Ronin makes up for it beautifully by doubling his hands instead. The extra body catches Nate’s attention, long enough for him to look up and shoot a beaming grin towards Ronin. ”I guess two heads are better than one, huh?” The results can’t be argued with though, a neat little pile of bandages stacking up, and only a single minor snag, the knife catching the edge of Ronin’s hand, barely deep enough to draw blood.
@Harper’s words earn him a grumpy yowl, claws swiping out once more to try and menace his hands. The bracelet distraction changes the cats mood almost instantly, it’s eyes going wide as it follows the beaded string out of the bag — and right into Harpers lap. The bracelets still clasped around his wrist are far more interesting to the great furry beast than the freed one, and now that it’s on him, it seems to have decided this is as good a place to stay as any. But at least the bag is emptied?
Out of all of them, Arialla is most successful in her task, spiders scattering under the assault of her jar, though there are now mashed spider bits coating the bottom of it. The few creepy crawlers who survived have wisely decided to flee, vacating the box and seeking new dark corners to creep in. Though there are still cobwebs, and some smears that are better left alone, the rest of the box can be sorted easily.
As Sunjata makes a funnel, Nate beans over at his fiancé, eye glittering. ”I knew there was a reason I kept you around.” He joked softly, ecstatic that their task had been made easier. At least, it seems like it will go easier. It works for the charcoal, the bottles filled with the first layer easily, but when they start the next one, trouble arises, in the form of a bigger piece of cork blocking the way for the rest of the particulate. It seems the funnel is slightly too small to let anything through. And when Nate tries to clear it, tries to shove it down, shaking the funnel within Sunjata’s grip to coax the pieces through, the whole set up slips, sending the first bottle toppling over, spreading charcoal and cork all around them. At least it’s only one bottle. Though the funnel not working means they’ll need to fill the second layer by hand.
Nate takes the failure as a sign to look around, take stock of where everyone else was before he got back to business. Seeing the others working at least somewhat successfully, he called out the next step, for those ready to proceed. ”The bags that are waxed can be filled, if you guys don’t mind. Try to keep keep bandages between the glass, so nothing smashes against each other.” He looks down at the mess him and Sunjata have made, and lifts his gaze again. ”It would be great if someone could grab a broom too.”
Round 3! We’re getting there!
Ronin successfully finishes off the bandages, though not without a minor injury. Arialla smashed a bunch of spiders, and can finish sorting the food into her piles, ready to be packed. Harper coaxes the cat from its bag, though it’s now decided he’s a much better bed for the moment. He can finish off the last few bags with minimal effort.
The bags can start to be assembled now, with the pieces that are ready to go, and Nate has requested someone help sweep up the mess of cork, so he and Sunjata can finish filling the filters.
ransom notes keep falling out your mouth, mid-sweet talk, newspaper word cut-outs speak no fear, no i don't believe you. you don't care a bit. you don't care a little bit.
Oh, of course, as things start to go so smoothly – it goes too smoothly to start. The funnel is made, easily getting the charcoal within it, Sunjata flashes a grin toward Nate. “And here I was thinking it was my looks.” He winks, a rumble of a breathy laugh leaving him before their task starts to venture south. And south it goes, turning his attention back to the jars just in time for the funnel to be too small, to watch as Nate tries to clear it and shove it down.
Then it spills, gets everywhere and Sunjata huffs a quiet sigh to himself. “Alright… Let’s try this again.” He murmurs, setting the bottles back upright and taking the pieces of cork into his hand and focusing on one bottle at a time, pinching amounts in and dropping them within the mouths of the bottles, hoping that might work without too much trouble.
Sunjata sets the bottle back up and takes to filling his palm with the cork and pinching amounts in.
SUNJATA
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
Well, that hadn't been a pleasant task, but it was done. Arialla did her best to scrape the spider guts off her deadly jar onto the edge of the crate, then decided not to worry further about it. Plenty of these food packages were covered in dust and mysterious stains; all that mattered was that the stuff on the inside was still good.
After finishing her sorting, Arialla looked around. Oh, a cat, how cute. She would stop to say hi, but she was pretty focused on her task -- she felt a strange need to prove herself, to prove that she could help out and solve problems here in Caido as she had done at home.
"I'll get a broom," she volunteered, seeing the mess to clean up. Now, where would she find a broom around here ... ? Shouldn't be too hard.
-----------
Arialla will look for a broom and, assuming she finds one, sweep up the spilled cork.
they say it's all been done
but they haven't seen the best of me
Ronin Taliesin has been a king. He’s been a captain of an army. He’s died, for fuck’s sake, and he still manages to nick his hand on the knife. It’s not deep, and it barely even hurts, and he’s still extra as all fuck about it. ”I’m blaming you for this,” he informs his astral projection, dismissing it out of spite and using one of the bandages to wrap up his pitiful cut. That done, he glances around and spots everyone... pretty busy, actually.
So naturally, Ronin does what Ronin does best: he gets up to shitfuckery.
Sunjata, being his closest friend out of this bunch of ruffians, is the unfortunate lucky receiver of his attention, and he jostles the Arbiter as he pads up behind him. ”You can do it, Jata!” he pipes up, giving his shoulders an encouraging rub, like a coach before a boxing match.
Ronin runs out of things to do, so he goes to bother Sunjata and cheer him on.
Harper, meanwhile, is delighted. The cat jumps out and onto his lap, and Harper playfully jangles the bracelets still on his wrist when the creature shows interest in them. Using the back of his hand - getting wax all over the poor furry thing would likely end their camaraderie - Harper pets the cat, settling it down even further across his thighs until the lazily flicking tail is the only movement he has to contend with.
With a beaming smile, Harper returns to his work now that the cat has found a new spot of warmth to enjoy. Setting to work on waterproofing the remaining bags on the table, setting aside a few moments here and there to continue petting the cat, hoping to keep it content enough on the warmth of his lap to prevent it from investigating what the man is doing. Sticky paws are just as terrible an ending for this battle.
Harper melts pets the cat and tries to contain it to his lap while he finishes waterproofing the remaining bags!
You're the prototype for me and if heaven wants to take us they can try
Though the attempt at speeding up the process had been disastrous, once both Nate and Sunjata of them settle into a rhythm, the filters are put together rather quickly. It's the kind of repetitive work that would border on monotonous, if not for the people around, the antics they get into. This is a side of Ronin Nate isn't actually sure he's seen before, having never actually met the man one on one.
"Thank you." The sincere words are offered towards Arialla as she does indeed locate a broom and tidy up the mess they've made. Of everyone who's showed up, she's the only true stranger, the one he wants to offer the most niceties to.
The cat all but melts in Harper's laps, purring up a storm and drooling happily, claws kneading into his leg whenever too much time passes between her petting sessions. "This is what happens when you feed every stray around." Nate points out playfully, aiming the tease towards his fiance while gesturing to Harper's locked down form.
Nate stands once the last filter is done, stretching for show rather than to actually iron out any sore muscles. "Perfect, now we just need to fill the bags!" Should be easy, everything was already organized and separated into different piles, stations that they can rotate between, fairly easily. "Every bag should have three bandages, a jar each of fruit and protein, and a filter. Then they can be piled up beside the door." Leading by example, Nate grabs one of the waterproofed bags, filling it neatly before setting it to the side and starting the next one. Between five of them, they should be done this last part in no time.
A final thought strikes Nate, somewhere around the fifth bag he completes. "If any of you feel like you need a kit, feel free to take one once we're finished." No point in making things for those in need, and then not giving them out.
Last round! Assemble the bags and get them stacked up and ready to be handed out! Feel free to leave at the end of your post, I will probably post a wrap-up later on :)
ransom notes keep falling out your mouth, mid-sweet talk, newspaper word cut-outs speak no fear, no i don't believe you. you don't care a bit. you don't care a little bit.
They try again, and things begin to move far more smoothly. Of course, he’s so focused on the task at hand and decidedly not fucking it up again, that he doesn’t notice when Ronin’s there – until the man’s hands are rubbing at his shoulders and he pauses in his work to peer up at Ronin – a wide grin crossing his face. “Gonna take the role of my cheerleader now, are you?” He teases, turning his head back to his work as he finishes it up.
The playful barb from Nate about feeding strays has Sunjata’s attention flickering to his fiancé after doing a quick survey of Harper, a smirk crossing his face. “You make it sound like it’s a problem. I think Harper’s having a good time.” He begins, a huff of laughter as he wraps up his task and leans back a bit to where he imagines Ronin hasn’t left just yet – his steel gaze lifting to meet the Star again as his hands splay out in a ‘tada’ gesture, expecting some applause for his stellar work. Then he stands, grabbing an empty bag and handing it to Ronin – moving to place items within it just as Nate instructed.
“You heading home right away?” He asks, imagining that once everyone’s filled the bags and departed, perhaps the three of them could make their way back toward their cluster of homes.
Sunjata finishes the filters with Nate, then gives Ronin a bag to start filling in and continues to work until they're done!
SUNJATA
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
they say it's all been done
but they haven't seen the best of me
Obviously his cheerleading does all the help in the world, because the tasks are completed and there are no further mishaps. Ronin is proud of himself, and he’d have patted himself on the back if it weren’t for Jata passing him one of the finished bags and ruining his little ego brag. ”Can do,” he says to Nate, nudging the Flood on purpose as he goes to start arranging things. It’s quick work, given how well they’ve all come together, and he seems pleased with the pile of little survival kits in the corner.
”Hm? Nah, I can stick around. Have a celebratory drink or three.” Ronin grins to both Sunjata and Nate, not worrying too much about taking one of the kits for himself. The Aumakua is on high ground, and besides in this part of the timeline his husband has al of the magic at his fingertips to create what they need.
Arialla smiled in response to Nate's thank you, carefully returning the broom to where she'd found it. "No problem. I'm here to help. And thank you -- I will take you up on one of those kits."
She'd found a room in Haulani whose owners didn't mind her staying there as long as she helped with chores around the house, but she didn't know what preparations her landlords had made for the storm season, so she figured it wouldn't hurt to have some supplies of her own. Even if they were fully prepared, she'd rather not rely on them for everything -- they were already being generous by giving her the room so cheap.
But before she could claim her own emergency kit, Arialla had to help fill others. She got to work quickly, staying quiet during the others' banter. As she didn't know any of them, she wasn't about to volunteer to join them for drinks -- of course, that would probably be the way to get to know them, but she was feeling shy again.
--------
Arialla will work on the kits, then take one for herself.
Harper is in love. Branbast? More like Branpast. This grumpy little ball of fur is his new best friend, and that's that on that. Nate's teasing tone brings up his mop of curly dark hair, and a cheeky grin overtakes him, dimples popping. Sunjata pipes up before he can, inspiring a burst of laughter from the man. "Exactly! You've got the wrong outlook Nate, if this is the result of feeding every stray I think I've found my new job description." Is he already contemplating smuggling her into the Halenani? Perhaps.
Harper is admittedly not the best worker around when it comes to stacking up the bags, but he manages to keep the cat happy in between trips, even as she winds around his ankles meowing in her raspy voice for attention. Harper plucks her up when they've finished, cuddling her and not minding the claws that knead into his skin. "Mind if I take this one as payment instead?" Charming grin on full display. The Halenani is already well-stocked, he won't take a kit when others could use them instead.
